Abstract

Travel has become an essential part of post-modern society, and backpacker travel is a reflection of this trend. Described as as a “metaphor of mobility”, who is “representative of a travel lifestyle and expression of identity”, which focuses on freedom and mobility, the backpacker phenomenon has evolved and is now an important tourism market. To situate the origins of backpacker travel within the broader history of tourism, this paper discusses the following: 17th and 18th century European Grand Tours; hiking and tramping; the youth hostel movement; non-institutionalised travel; drifter tourism; and youth tourism. This is not a homogenous market and can be differentiated in a number of ways which include: nationality, purpose, organisation of trip, age, gender and lifecycle stage (Cohen, 2004). Although predominantly Western in origin new markets are emerging from Israel, Japan, and China. Backpacker tourism has the potential to provide opportunities for rural and community development, entrepreneurship and the growth of small businesses and opportunities for indigenous participation in the tourism industry.